Winter is upon us and the end of another Rotary year is at hand and what a year it has been. COVID-19 has dominated the news for much of 2020.
Even the tragic bushfires in January seem so far away. COVID-19 has changed the world and Rotary, our club has been required to postpone fundraising, club activities and major projects, but we are looking forward to the generation of future strategies under the new normal and restarting our activities in the coming months.
Club Meetings Over the Past Month
Members have enjoyed meeting weekly via zoom and hearing from a range of speakers over the past few weeks:
Tuesday 19th May: Guest Speaker - Nigel Caswell – Multiple Sclerosis Ambassador
Nigel shared the story of his journey since becoming a MS Ambassador after being diagnosed at the age of 49. His story was inspirational and intriguing as he spoke of his views on disability, life experience and the future.
Tuesday 25th May: Guest Speaker - Steve MacDonald – Assistant Governor – Bayside – 2020-2021
Steve spoke of the profound change that the COVID-19 isolation has brought to many Rotary Clubs and the fast and enthusiastic take-up of Zoom meetings by most Clubs. He also spoke about how technologies such as this have opened up opportunities for people to join meetings more easily and to hear from speakers who may not have been available in the typical face-to-face meeting format.
Tuesday 9th June: Guest Speaker – Dr Daryl Moran – District Governor Elect 2021-2022/Author of “Empire’s Noble Son”
Dr Daryl Moran shared his vision for the strategic priorities for Rotary, including developing Club excellence, innovation, family and support. He also spoke about his recently published book - Empire’s Noble Son - a biography of an Australian pilot during the Great War. This was his first book, the story of 2nd Lt Lyle Buntine, MC, a Caulfield Grammarian who served in the Royal Flying Corps in the Great War.
Tuesday 16th June: Guest Speaker – Jenny Foster – District 9800 Chair International Service 2019-2020 & Vice-President/Membership Chair – Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne
Jenny gave an inspirational and passionate talk as she shared a behind-the-scenes insight into Rotary Donations-In-Kind (DIK), their participation with the 'Nokor Tep' medical project that RCOH were involved with & also about the new Rotary Passport Club of Melbourne.
Club Member Survey – Thank You For Your Feedback
Thank you to all members who provided feedback to us by completing the recent Member Survey. The response was overwhelming and the survey responses have now been compiled and shared with the Board.
The results and your feedback will now form the backbone of our Club’s strategic planning session at the upcoming Club Forum on Tuesday 30th June. Ensure you zoom-in for this session so you can help shape the future of the Club. Go to the meetings section of our website for more details:https://hamptonrotary.org.au/meetings
Community Projects Update
Hampton Rotary Makes Donation to Sandringham Hospital
Hampton Rotary Club donated a range of gifts to health workers at Sandringham Hospital, in recognition and thanks for their dedication and service in keeping the local community safe during this challenging time of COVID-19. About 150 gifts were delivered by Rhonda Pincott and Christine Lindsey to the hospital, which were received by hospital representatives Alison Palmer (Operations Manager) and Cathy Howard (PA to the Director of Nursing) for distribution to the hospital’s healthcare workers.
Since the gifts were delivered, Hampton Rotary have received a thank you from the hospital for our generous community support of their staff, and to let us know how thrilled and appreciative the staff were to receive these items.
Hampton Rotary Community Grants 2019-2020 Program Delivers Benefits To A Range of Local Community Projects
During the year, the Club saw another round of worthy applications for a Hampton Rotary Club Community Grant 2019-2020. These grants are funded through the generosity of local traders who kindly supported our Funky Bunch Trivia night fundraiser combined with donations made by members of the community when entering the Bayside Farmer’s Market and our club sponsor Noel Sussey of Buxton Hampton East.
The articles below outline the results for each of the successful recipients of this past year’s Grants Program.
Hampton Life Saving Club, Starfish Nippers Program
The funding provided was used to purchase the Nippers and their volunteer Mentors with a printed ‘Starfish’ t-shirt. This helps make them identifiable on the beach which is most important particularly on crowded beach days. The Rotary Club of Hampton are very happy to support such a wonderful inclusive community activity such as Starfish Nippers.
Riding for the Disabled (RDA) Moorabbin
Once again the Rotary Club of Hampton was able to support RDA Moorabbin with funding for the purchase of feed for their 9 horses. This wonderful group of 100 volunteers provide 100 disabled children, youth and adults annually with the opportunity to safely ride a horse at an affordable price. Due to the COVID-19 situation, Jane Baker of RDA Moorabbin reports that while the riders may not be able to visit, the horses still need to be fed and, as such, she is grateful for the Hampton Rotary’s support. It will be great when we see this up and running again in the knowledge the horses will be well-fed and fit enough to once again support their riders.
The Holland Foundation
It was with pleasure the Rotary Club provided some much-needed funds to assist The Holland Foundation (THF). THF is a bayside volunteer based not-for-profit organization. The core program of THF is a unique retail and office administration training program for unemployed, new arrivals, people with mental health issues/disabilities and those who have little hope of gaining “real world” work experience, let alone paid employment in any sector. The funds helped to provide training manuals, email access and a COVID-safe environment for the clients. Grant Holland, CEO of The Holland Foundation, has reported even during the COVID-19 crisis three of their clients were able to gain employment for which he reports would not have happened without the community support of organisations such as Rotary Club of Hampton.
Olympic Avenue Kindergarten
Funding provided for the purchase of a bike rack encouraging the kindy kids to ride to kinder was provided to Olympic Avenue Kindergarten. Kate Brady from the Kinder reports the pre-schoolers are loving it and one has been heard to say ‘It’s like a cupboard for bikes’. Once again this is an excellent example of community supporting community.
Hampton Rotary Club Fundraising Events
Bayside Farmers’ Market – Re-opening Soon
With the relaxation of the Government’s health advisory, the Bayside Farmers’ Market will be back in July at Trey Bit Reserve. More details will be available very soon.
For more details about the market, check out the website at:www.baysidefarmersmarket.com.au
Upcoming Club Meetings
Club Meetings Now Online – ZOOM-in to get the latest updates
We are now holding weekly Club meetings online – using Zoom, an online video conference facility. Details on each meeting are available in the meetings calendar on our Club website and all you have to do is click on the link indicated to be connected to the meeting. Meetings start at 7pm and run for an hour. We look forward to connecting with you at these meetings.
Also, these meetings are open to non-members as well…so if you would like to tell your friends about the upcoming meetings, please get them to zoom in as well – all will be very welcome!
Here is the dedicated link to join ANY of the Hampton Rotary Zoom Meetings (it will be the same for each meeting):
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9905328858
You can also refer to our website for further updates on the upcoming meeting program: https://hamptonrotary.org.au/meetings
Club “Changeover” – Tuesday 23rd June
Many new members may wonder what is “Rotary Changeover”? Late June every year is a time of change in the Rotary world. At that time of the year, all 34,000 Rotary Clubs around the world conduct a Changeover ceremony which brings new leadership, new ideas, a new theme, and renewed vitality to each Club. The features of all changeovers include:
- Celebrating accomplishments
- Acknowledging service
- Looking forward to the year ahead
The Rotary Club of Hampton this year will be hosting Changeover again online via Zoom. Full details are available on our website on the link here:https://hamptonrotary.org.au/event/42565/club-changeover-online-only
Club Meeting – Tuesday 30th June – Club Forum
An evening where Club members can jointly participate in the strategic planning, and goal-setting for next year and also the opportunity to review the outcomes from the member survey.
Full details are available on our website on the link here:https://hamptonrotary.org.au/event/42566/club-forum-online-only
Club Meetings – July 2020
Further details about the upcoming Club Meetings scheduled during July will be available on the Hampton Rotary website. Check here for details:https://hamptonrotary.org.au/meetings
Rotary District 9810 News
Changeover Event Online – 20 June 2020 – 7pm
District Governor Shia and District Governor Elect Alma invite all members to attend the District Zoom Changeover on Saturday 20th June 2020 which will mark the start of the new Rotary year.
Venue: OnlineDate: Saturday 20 June 2020
Time: 7.00pm start
Cost: Free
They are both looking forward to seeing as many Rotarians, Rotaractors and friends of Rotary there on the night, for this very different but still VERY FUN changeover celebration night.
To book your spot, follow this link:https://www.trybooking.com/BIRZS
Rotary International News
Rotary 2020 Virtual Convention – Details Now Available
The schedule for the Rotary 2020 Virtual Convention is now available. Each session is occurring “live” but if the times don’t suit you, the sessions will be recorded and available on demand to watch later. The Convention is free to watch online, but you will need to register at:https://www.riconvention.org/
